Feeler mechanism for looms



Patented May 27, 1924.

N T E S Anonzo E. nnoanns, or HOIPEDALEQ'MASSACHUSETTS, nssienon TO mama con-j PORA'IION, or nornnnnn, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION or MAINE.

FEELER MECHANISM FOR LOOMS.

Application filed September 26,1922, Serial No. 590,643.

To all whom it may concern:

I Be'it known that I, ALoNzo E. RHoAnns,

a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Hopedale, county of Worcester, State of Massachusetts (whose post-office address is Hopedale, Massachusetts), haveinvented an Improvement in Feeler Mechanism for Looms, of which the following description, in connection with the accom- 10 panying drawing, isv a specification, like characters on the drawing representing like parts.

This invention relates to a feeler mecha. nism for effecting automatically a change in the operation of the loom when the'filling in the working shuttle has become substan tially exhausted but while sufficient filling still remains on the filling carrier to insure the weaving of perfect cloth. The change in the'operation of the loom thus affected may, for example, be the stopping of-the loom or it may be and frequently is the replenishment of a fresh supply of filling such as takes place in the well known automatic filling replenishing loom. Various forms of feeler mechanism have been designed for accomplishing this object but this invention relates more particularly to that type of feeler mechanism employing what is commonly termed a needle feeler. This type of feeler mechanism comprises a feeler member having a small point which is adapted to sink into the mass of, filling upon each detecting beat of the lay without efiecting the operative movement of the feeler member until the filling has become exhausted to the required degree whereupon the point of the feeler member comes into contact with the hard surface of the filling carrier and upon the ensuing beat up of the lay is given an operative movement.

One object of the present invention is to:

provide a feeler mechanism of the needle type in which this needle or penetrating 5 feeler member is normally held in a retracted position so as not to engage and penetrate or sink into the filling thus preventing any injury or damage being done thereby to the filling and in which'this penetrating member is only projectediso as to engage the filling when the filling has been exhausted to a predetermined extent or'is approaching the degree of exhaustion desired for efiecting the changein the operation ofthe loom.

5 Another object of the invention is to pro vide a feeler mechanism of this type in which a governing or. controlling feeler member in the form of a side slip? feeler is given an indicating movement upon the the exhaustion of the filling" to a predetermined extent and thereby or there-through acts to bring the filling penetrating member into position to engage and feel thejfilling. A further object of the invention is to providein this type of feeler mechanism a means acting normally toretract the filling penetrating member, an actuator for effect ing the change in the operation of the loom.

and an intermediary means inthe form of a wedge which, upon'the indicating movem'en't' of the .side slip feeler member, is pulled on drawn between the actuator and the'filling penetrating member to project thevfilling penetrating member and effect a connection between the filling penetrating member and the actuator'thereby to cause the actuator to move into actuating position when the filling fpenetrating member engages the'filling carrier upon the beat up of the lay.'

The nature and objects of, the invention Will' appear more fully from theIaccompanying description anddrawings and will be'particularlypointed out in the claims. In the drawings: L

Fig. 1;is a top plan view of a feeler mechanism embodying a preferred 'formof the invention; a

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of .the construction shown in Fig. 1, together with certain portions of the loom mechanism;

Fig. 8 is a detail partiallyintop plan and partially in transverse cross section showing the co-operation 'of thefeeler mechanism and filling: carrier to effect the movement of the actuator into actuating position.

The feeler mechanism of this invention maybe: embodied inlooms of various types and-may be employed for securing any. de'-' sired ichange in the operation of the loom but, as inuthe case'of the'feeler mechanisms embodied-in-my prior-inventions above referred to',"it is particularly designed for use I on an' automatic filling replenishing loom of the well' known,Vorthropv type where it is employed toinitiate the fillingreplenishing operation uponthe substantial exhaustion of the filling in the running shut tle. It is,;therefo-re, unnecessary to illus trate or describe the general construction and operation of the loom,- As. herein shownthe mechanism is designed to move a forwardly the end of a controller 1 andmovement of this controller through suitable transmitting mechanism acts to effeet the desiredchange 'inthe loom.

The feeler mechanism is shown as ;mount-' ed upon a bracket 2 which may be attached to the breast beam or other fixed-"portion of the loom opposite the shuttle box at the detecting sideiof the loom. In Figure 3 this ,shuttle box 3 is shown mountedron the lay 4;:and containing the boxed shuttle 5 with its filling carrier or-bobbin 6i "Openings 7 in the front wall; of the shuttle box and8'in the shuttle permit the entrance of the feeler mechanism therethroughso as toengage with V the filling carrier in the 'usual'manner.

,The feeler stand comprises a base 9 secured to the'bracket 2 by bolts 10 'and a top portion 11 cast in suitable formand-secured tothe basexby the screws 12.- Thisfeeler stand is provided with a suitable longitudinal groove in which s mountedfor longitudinal sliding *movement toward and I from thelay a feeler sli'de13. This slide is in :the form of a flat plate reduced at its front'portion lt-to form a shoulder 15. A

' eoiledspring '16 surrounds the reduced portion '14 and abuts against the shoulder '15 and a shoulder 17 on the feeler-stand and thus-acts normally to project the feeler slide 13rearwardly ortoward the lay.

' The rearward end of the feeler slide 13 is providedwith a cover plate 18'held in, place by screws 19. The rearward surface 20- of theslide'13 and cover plate 18 may at times during the operation of the loom impinge upon the filling of the filling carrienbut this impinging face does not constitute one of the efi ective elements of the-mechanism as in the usual type of needle or filling penetrating memberfeeler mechanism. Its main purpose is to serve as a guard' forthe filling penetrat ing member and prevent the comparatively sharp pointedfilling penetrating members from contacting with the'fi'lling during the normal operation of the loom and until they filling is very near to the degree of'substantial exhaustion at which the feeler' mecha nism is to act to effect the desired change in the operation of theloom;v 7

' The filling penetrating member is in the form of'a flat plate 21 mounted to slide longitudinally in a groove between the feeler slide '13 and top plate 18-at the rear end of the slide. This plate 21 carries at its rearward end the point or needle 22. The center portion of the plate 21 is cutout to form a pocket for a spring 23 abuttingat its forward end against the plate and at its rearward end against a stop 24 onthe feeler slide. This spring therefore Iacts normally to hold th'e fillingpenetratingmember retracted and with its point in front of the face 20; as shown in Figures 1 and 2. V r

The actuator is in the form of a bell crank lever havinga long forwardly extendingarm' -25and a shorter depending arm 26 This bell V crank lever is fulcrumed at 27 on 'a bracket forked end 32.comes into line-with the end of the controller arm land as the feeler slide 13 moves forwardly carries along the controller arm and :thusgives the desired movement for initiating a change in the opera.-

tion of the m; A stop lug 33 -provided 1 with an adjustable stop screw; 34 isimounted on the feeler slide and acts, if necessary, to insure the returnof the controller arm to normal position. 7 7

V The controlling-or governing feeler mem- I ber in the preferred form of this invention is in the form of a side slip feeler and has connected therewith an intermediary means in the form of a wedge whichis drawn or pulled into position between the filling penetrating member and the actuatorarm 26 thereby to efiect the desired initiating inovement of the feeler mechanism upon the sexhaustion of the filling to the required degree.

This "side'slipf feeler is shown in the form olf'a-bell crank lever 35 fulcrumed at 36011 the tfeeler slide. The arm 37 ofthis lever extends alongside thefeeler slide to the rear end thereotandatits eflective end. is toothed or roughened at 38. Theother. arm: 39 of the lever seats against a spring lOheld in the bracket 28. 1 This spring thereforenormally acts to'hold'the side slip teeler with its aim substantially parallel with the teelerslide, and with the roughened end 38* well to the rear of the face 20 of the feeler slide. The intermediary or wedge member -11. is pivotally connected at 42 to the feeler end of the filling penetratingmember slide member 35 and extends between the depend- 1 ing arm 260i the actuator andthe iorward 21. This member4-1 is widened-outsorcam or wedge shaped at its freeend andis so con structed that, when the feeler-mechanism is in thenormal position as shown in Figures 1 and 2 and the filling penetratinginember slide 21 IS in its retracted position and the actuator is in ltS IlOIl'Ilttl POSltlOILtlllS mem- ,ber il will just about fill the spacebetweeni If, however, the side slip feeler member 35 is swung away from the feeler slide 13 the wedge member 41 is drawn or pulled between the slide 21 and the actuator arm 26.

The operation of the mechanism will now be apparent. Under normal conditions the parts stand as shown in Figures 1 and 2. As the lay beats up on a detecting beat the feeler members pass through the openings 7 and 8 in the shuttle box and shuttle and the roughened surface 38 of the side slip feeler contacts with the filling and as the beat up continues the entire feeler slide moves forwardly, the actuator arm 25 passing beneath the controller arm 1, and all the parts carried by the feeler slide remain unmoved with respect thereto. The filling on the filling carrier is gripped by the roughened surface 38 and so no movement'of the side slip feeler takes place with respect to the feeler slide. The spring 23 holds the filling penetrating member retracted and any contact which may take place between the filling and the surface 20 is unnecessary and has no efiect. r

When, however, the filling on the filling carrier has become reduced or exhausted to such an extent that the surface of the filling carrier opposite the roughened surface 38 of the side slip feeler member is bare or con tains but a loose'layer or so of filling the pressure of the filling carrier against the roughened surface 38 as the lay beats up will permit the surface 38 to slip on the filling carrier and the entire feeler member 35 will rock about its pivot 36. As this rocking movement takes place the wedge member 41 is drawn or pulled in between the filling penetrating member and the actuator arm 26 thus projectin the filling penetrating member against t re action of its spring 23 which is much weaker than the spring 31 until upon the same or successive beat ups the point 22 sinks through the remaining filling on the filling carrier and engages the hard surface of the filling carrier. lVhen this takes place and the beat up continues the filling carrier, pushing against the filling penetrating member and through the rigid connection established by the wedge 41 between it and the actuator, raises the actuator against the tension of the spring S1 to bring its forked end 32 into line with the end of the controller arm 1 and thereupon as the beat up continues further the entire feeler slide moves forwardly carrying with it the controller arm and effecting the desired change in the operation of the loom.

After the desired change has been initiated and the lay beats back the feeler slide moves rearwardly under the influence of the spring 16 in the usual manner. The spring 31 returns the actuator to normal position and the spring 40 returns the side slip feeler member to its normal position and thereby the wedge is pushed to the left to disconnect the actuator and the filling penetrating member, The filling penetrating member is 7 again retracted under the influence of its ters Patent, is

1. A feeler mechanism for looms comprising a filling penetrating member, means act ing normally to retract the filling penetrating member, an actuator acting when moved into actuating position to effect a change in the operation of the loom, a side slip feelermember, and means operated by the side. slip of the side slip feeler member to'project the filling penetrating member and to effect a connection between it and the actuator whereby upon the contact of the filling carrier with the filling penetrating member upon the beat up the actuator will be moved to actuating position.

2. A feeler mechanism'for looms comprising a feeler slide, means for normally projecting the feeler slide rearwardly, an actuator movably mounted upon the feeler slide, a filling penetrating member movably mounted on the feeler slide, means acting normally to retract the filling penetrating member, a side slip feeler member movably mounted on the feeler slide, a Wedge shaped intermediary member operated by the side slip, feeler member and moved upon the side slip of said member and acting, first, to project the filling penetrating member and, second, to effect a connection between the filling penetrating member and the actuator whereby, upon the contact of the filling carrier with the filling penetrating member upon the beat up, the actuator will be moved to actuating position.

3. A feeler mechanism for looms comprising a feeler slide, means acting normally to project the feeler slide rearwardly, a filling penetrating member slidably mounted in the feeler slide, means acting normally to retract the filling penetrating member, an actuatormovably mounted on the feeler slide, a side slip lever feeler member fulcrumed on the feeler slide, a wedge shaped intermediary member pivoted to the side slip member and extending between the filling penetrating member and the actuator, the side slip .movement of the side slip feeler member nection between it and the actuator.

In. testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

ALONZO E. RHOADES. l 

